Researchers, Nonprofit Communities, and Parents Respond to Department of Corrections’ 2023-2024 Special Focus on Life Sentences

OTTAWA, Ontario, November 06, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Office of the Correctional Officer (OCI) 2023-2024 The annual report highlights life imprisonment, a sentencing regime that attracts little public attention.

Many people in Canada may not be aware that people sentenced to life imprisonment make up 26% of the total population receiving federal sentences. As the OCI report highlights, many people may not be aware that Canada has one of the harshest versions of life imprisonment in the world. A parliamentary study shows that “Canada exceeds the average length of time a person sentenced to life imprisonment is detained in all countries surveyed.””.

OCI report, St. It highlights many important issues that researchers and non-governmental organizations such as Leonard’s Society of Canada and the Canadian Association of Elizabeth Fry Societies have long drawn attention to.

The OCI report and investigation into the state of prison experiences of people sentenced to life imprisonment highlight that “purposeless and endless punishment” subjects a significant portion of Canada’s prison population to conditions that are contrary to and counterproductive to the purposes of our legal and penal system. Human dignity in a broader sense.

“Most convictions of people sentenced to life imprisonment (about 80%) arise from spontaneous violence, and many convictions, especially for women, arise from unrecognized cases of self-defense.” says Emilie Coyle, Executive Director of the Canadian Association of Elizabeth Fry Societies.

The vast majority of people sentenced to life imprisonment come from Canada’s most vulnerable and socio-economically disadvantaged communities. Similar to figures representing Canada’s total federal prison population, the Overview of Sentencing and Parole Statistics shows that Indigenous people make up an alarming percentage of people sentenced to life imprisonment in Canada: ¼ of people sentenced to life imprisonment overall More than 1000 of them are Indigenous. Between 2012 and 2022 approximately 40 per cent of women sentenced to life imprisonment are Indigenous, while approximately 30 per cent of men are Indigenous. Additionally, the OCI notes that black prisoners have a greater representation among those sentenced to life imprisonment than all federal prisoners. Multiple federal authorization letters and strategies We have called for addressing the overrepresentation of Black and Indigenous Peoples in the criminal justice system, but these and other statistics continue to worsen.

A recently published qualitative research study from the University of Victoria by PhD Candidate Nyki Kish focusing on individuals subject to life parole in Canada found that most of the study participants were sentenced to life imprisonment as juveniles or very young adults. This finding was confirmed by research by University of British Columbia Professor Debra Parkes. Prevalence of life sentences given to young people in CanadaIt is against international human rights standards.

The increasing number of people sentenced to life imprisonment in prisons in Canada for ‘purposeless and pointless’ sentences is leading to Canada’s prison system being an aging system. A research study published in 2021 by Dalhousie Law professor Adelina Iftene highlights the impact of long and life sentences on people in prisons and documents in her 2021 publication Punishment for Aging: Vulnerability, Rights, and Access to Justice in Canadian Prisons A long-term prison sentence reduces a person’s life expectancy by 20 years compared to the general population in Canada.

As the OCI investigation noted, people sentenced to life imprisonment are deprived of priorities in prison settings and receive fewer programs and services than their fixed-sentence peers. At the same time”unreasonable behavioral expectations” further increases the barriers to their eventual reintegration into the community. “It is clear that many people sentenced to federal sentencing, especially those sentenced to life imprisonment, face penalties beyond deprivation of liberty. There are ample recommendations based on research detailing correctional practices that are both humane and harmful. However, Canada needs to make an informed decision.” “We are trying to repair or perpetuate the damage.” – Anita Desai, SLSC Executive Director

Those who work closely with the prison system confirm the OCI report’s investigation and highlight that the current system is harmful to both individuals and public safety and is unnecessarily expensive. “We are learning that people sentenced to life imprisonment are less likely to receive programs and services within reasonable periods of time. We need a system that can evaluate and determine whether a person is ready for parole. “Long parole ineligibility periods and a lack of policy guidance for people sentenced to life imprisonment result in consistently longer time in prison.” writes associate professor Tamara Humphrey, who regularly works with men serving life sentences in prisons and is currently conducting research on people’s experiences on parole.

Even when those sentenced to life imprisonment return to the community, they face conditions that are more punitive, harsh and restrictive than those of most countries worldwide surveyed in 2019. Harvard University Press. Unlike most countries, which adjust community supervision according to risk and gradually release people over time, Canada punishes people intensely and to the point of death. In society, people sentenced to life imprisonment experience isolation and an intense fear of re-imprisonment. Most of these people went to prison when they were 17, 18 or 19 years old. Now they are in their 50s, 60s, 70s. They age out on parole, and when they experience cognitive and/or physical decline, this is interpreted as “risk” by the Correctional Service of Canada and they are re-incarcerated. Canadian prisons are not medical facilities and are not equipped to provide emergency care. health and aging needs.

“As family members of incarcerated individuals, we know that the OCI report accurately details and brings to light the harsh realities of our loved ones’ lives in prison. We call on the CSC to take action without delay, giving due importance to the recommendations,” Farhat Rehman, an active member of the Ottawa-based support group for parents of incarcerated people, offers Mothers Offering Mutual Support.

For Media Inquiries, please contact

Canadian Association of Elizabeth Fry Societies: (email protected)

signatories

Elizabeth Fry Societies Association of Canada

Debra Parkes, Professor and Chair of Feminist Legal Studies, University of British Columbia

St. Leonard Canadian Society

Tamara Humphrey, Associate Professor, Department of Sociology, University of Victoria

Farhat Rehman, Mothers Offering Mutual Support